How about on Saturday?
by NBBligh
Summary: POTUS decides it is time for Elizabeth McCord to have a birthday party she truly deserves.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: They are not mine, I do not own them, I just play with them.**

 **This is a work of fiction and Will offer no spoilers to the series.**

* * *

Russell knocked on the door of the Oval Office and stepped in. He had his black leather binder with him and a pen in his hand.

"Mr. President, there was something you wanted to discuss?" he asked. Conrad Dalton got up from his chair and came to the sofas.

"Yeah, it's kind of private," POTUS said. Jackson turned, closed the door and came closer. Dalton chuckled.

"OK, bad choice of words. I mean it's not shop-talk," he said.

"Oh," Russell said and sat down. Dalton looked at him carefully.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Jackson's sigh was heavy.

"The plate is just a bit full today," he admitted.

"Russell, perhaps we should discuss another time. You should go home," Dalton suggested. Jackson looked at him and shook his head.

"I don't take that as an order, so no thank you Mr. President," he replied.

"I can make it an order," Dalton offered. Jackson's laugh was bark-like, short.

"Yes, you could but I doubt you will," he said. Dalton huffed and shook his head.

"Fine. OK, the thing I wanted to talk about was Bess," he said.

"Somehow, I assumed she would be the topic," Jackson admitted.

"To be more exact, her birthday is the topic," POTUS said. Jackson grinned.

"Are you finally going to go through with the plan of throwing her a surprise party?" he asked. Dalton smiled.

"Yes. It's been a pretty nasty cycle here and we could all use some fun," he said. Jackson smiled back.

"Just tell me what you want me to do," he offered.

"I wonder if we should let her own staff plan the party," POTUS suggested.

"Sure. Just keep it so small she won't realize they are planning something," Jackson reminded. Dalton shook his head.

"She's an ex spook. We have to throw in such a gear she will never expect a party. It has to be something big enough for her to never even suspect," the President said. Jackson nodded.

"That's going to be one of the hardest tasks they've ever faced," he said.

"Stop smiling like a shark that just saw it's pray," Dalton huffed. Jackson smiled again.

"Just let me enjoy it while I can," he said and got up.

* * *

Russell Jackson walked to the State Department. Blake Moran got up.

"I'm sorry Mr. Jackson, but she is not available. She is not here," Moran said. Jackson greeted him with a nod.

"I know. I want you, the speech writer, the media girl and Jay in the conference room in one minute," Russell barked. He was in no hurry, it just amused him to see these people run like rabbits when he told them to.

A minute later all those who were supposed to be at the conference room, were there. Jackson closed the doors.

"We have something to talk about," he said.

"Yes?" Jay asked. The kid had started to irritate Jackson since the very beginning of his role as Bess' Chief of Staff. Trying to keep his feelings at bay, Jackson opened his binder and laid his hand on it.

"I have a task for you all. You will not, under any circumstances speak of this task to the Secretary of State," he said. Matt Mahoney laughed out loud.

"You expect us to work behind her back?" he asked.

"Yes. That is exactly what I expect of you all. She is a trained spy, so she will see things most people, people like you and I would not notice. So, in the name of all that is holy, you people will have to work around her, behind her, above her and under her if needed and work so that she will not have the faintest clue of what is going on," Jackson said. He knew the people would refuse. He just knew it. They were more fierce in their loyalty than most dogs.

"I refuse," Jay said and got up.

"I refuse," Daisy said too and got up. Matt followed suit and Blake was also already up. Jackson stared at all of them for a while, then he started to laugh.

"What, exactly, you find so funny?" Jay asked.

"Sit down. All of you!" Jackson barked and so deep run their fear and possibly some lingering respect for his position, that they actually sat down.

"I expect you to do you very best," he said.

"I still refuse…" Jay started.

"Shut up, puppy!" Russell growled. Jay turned pale.

"Your task, and I am not asking you to accept it, I am telling you, and when I tell you, it is POTUS telling you, so if my power over you isn't enough, go and take this up to him, is to plan and execute the best surprise birthday party Washington DC has ever seen!" Jackson said. Four pair of eyes stared at him.

"Plan a what?" Jay asked.

"Did you say surprise birthday party?" Daisy asked.

"Are you serious?" Matt inquired.

"I think I am in another dimension," Blake commented.

Jackson laughed out loud again.

"Still refusing?" he asked. The Secretary's staff stared at him still.

"You really mean a surprise party?" Daisy asked. Jackson sat down.

"This is POTUS's idea but you four know her the best so plan it and plan it well. I will help you with the execution if needed," White House Chief of Staff said.

"What would you help with?" Matt asked. Then he raised his hands.

"I didn't mean it like that. I meant… well I kind of meant it…" the man stammered. Jackson's grin was evil, but he ignored the bluntness of the question.

"We can't have the party here or in the Oval Office for obvious reasons. You can't close a part of this floor from her without really good explanation and the Oval Office is constantly in use. So, we are going to use the White House Grand Hall. The decorations won't take all that long and she has no real business in there. We'll close the doors and claim it's being painted…" Jackson said.

"Sorry to interrupt, but how will we get her there?" Jay asked.

"Excuse me?" Jackson asked. Jay got up. He was pacing restlessly.

"Nothing wrong with the venue but there is no emergency to take her there. Nothing would take place there if something happened," he said.

"The evacuation space," Daisy said. Matt smiled.

"The Evac space is perfect!" he said.

"Walk me through that," Jackson asked.

"We talk about a woman who has seen it all, so to say. We need to have a real good reason to take her to the White House on her birthday. The only good enough reason to get her there and get her there without a huge fight, would be a national security threat. We are of course inviting her kids and Professor McCord so we will plan them something, like a concert and then her detail gets a call. They rush her to a car and Henry is put in another car. We give her a few traffic jams, so Henry get there first and so everyone is ready in the evac area. That is huge, never used really and no one will talk to her about that place being decorated for something. We use the emergency lights, the DS guides her in and then we pop the lights on and surprise it is," Matt explained. Jackson leaned back. A slow, evil grin crept on his face.

"Perfect," he said.

"We don't have access to the Evac area," Jay reminded them.

"What did I just say about taking care of things you need?" Jackson asked. Jay nodded.

"I'm sorry sir," he said. Jackson scratched his head and closed his binder.

"I will need updates of plans and things you need. We can't really meet. She would never take seriously any reason for us to suddenly have little pow-wows," Russell said.

"I will email you everything," Daisy promised.

"Two more things," Jackson said.

"Yes, sir?" Jay asked. His tone had changed completely.

"Her family has to be in the whole plan. We can't have them planning another party and her being torn in half by not deciding where to go," Jackson said.

"Done," Daisy agreed.

"Second… invite Nadine Tolliver," Russell suggested. Everyone stared at him again.

"You know that would make her day," he said, took his binder and left.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**I usually write more serious stuff and comedy/humor is not my cup of tea... I don't even drink tea...**

 **I still hope you'll enjoy ;)**

* * *

"Did he leave?" Blake asked.

"Yes, he left," Jay assured him.

"Could someone please tell me, what in the name of all good and peachy just happened?" Blake pleaded.

"Well, the scary, powerful White House Chief of Staff Russell Jackson marched in to our conference room and told us we have the privilege and honor of planning a surprise party of a lifetime for Madam Secretary," Matt said. They stared at each other and burst in uncontrollable laugh.

"This almost beat the pandas," Daisy giggled.

"Almost. Nothing can ever beat the pandas," Matt panted and lost control again. He wanted to roll on the floor laughing but the thought of being on the floor when Secretary McCord would return, halted him. Daisy was giggling and even Jay seemed to lose it for a while.

"I would also ask if someone could help open the portal to our dimension, so we could all slip through and behave like adults," Blake said.

"I can't take this," Matt howled.

"You better. She's outside," Blake said suddenly.

"What?!" Matt asked. It was like sobering up really fast.

"Secretary McCord is outside. She is asking me to get some files ready," the assistant said and got up. Daisy got on her feet and almost ran to the restroom. Jay took his notes and hurried out of the conference room. Matt thought about hiding under the table but most likely their ex-spy boss would have found him there. He ran after Daisy, got ushered out of the rest room by some clerk who was quite furious and pointed at the picture of a stick-figure wearing a skirt… and then he finally found the men's room and dive in at the same time as the elevator gave a sound.

Elizabeth McCord walked out of the elevator and to her own office. Blake was going through the files and leaving the ones she asked for on the desk.

"Hi, Blake. Sorry, I only have a moment. Everything alright here?" Secretary McCord asked. Blake smiled.

"I believe that today everything is exceptionally good. Calm, nice and nothing new on the plate," he said. Bess looked at him.

"Blake? Are you alright?" she asked. The assistant gave her a nod.

"Yes, ma'am. I am. Very much so. This is the last file you asked for, but if I recall correctly, also this other one is connected to the issue at hand," Blake said and handed her two more files.

"Good, Blake, very good!" Secretary McCord said and gave him a thumbs up.

"Can I help with something else, ma'am?" Blake asked.

"Nope, that's it," Bess said, popping the 'p'.

"Thank you, ma'am," Blake commented and walked out.

* * *

Russell Jackson walked into his office, finger-pointed at Stephanie McCord and barked:

"You, here!"

Stevie stared at his retreating back and then she found her feet and hurried after him.

"Close the door!" Jackson growled. Stevie stopped, turned, closed the door and went to his desk.

"Sit!" Jackson said. What on earth? Someone had really ruffled his feathers today, Stevie thought but sat down.

"Yes, sir Mr. Jackson," she said. Russell sat behind his desk and tossed his phone on the desk.

"Your mother's birthday is coming up," he said.

"Yes, sir," Stevie said, completely lost.

"POTUS wants to throw her a surprise party," Jackson offered.

"Wants to what?!" Stevie asked.

"Throw. Your. Mother. A. Surprise. Party." Jackson tried to be more clear.

"Sir, I understand. No, I don't understand," Stevie corrected. Jackson snorted.

"I guess it's not something you'd expect but if he wants it, I'm not going to argue. Now, we need your family to be on the same page with us," he said. Finally Stevie started to realize that she was not dreaming. This was actually happening.

"POTUS is throwing a surprise birthday party to my mother," Stevie said. Russell grinned.

"Finally. I never thought you were dense, but this was truly pushing it," he said. Stevie laughed.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jackson. This is quite unexpected," Stevie admitted.

"Your reaction is nowhere near her staff's reactions. So, in or out?" Jackson asked.

"In, of course," Stevie assured him.

"Good. I'll keep you posted," Russell promised. Stevie got up.

"Thank you, Mr. Jackson," she said. There was something unusually warm in Russell's eyes.

"It's actually my pleasure," he assured her.


	3. Chapter 3

**OK, Finally got to this again, after a pretty hectic week.**

 **This story includes some spoilers for those who have not yet seen season, sorry about that.**

 **Also because I am an idiot and new with fanfiction, I accidentally reported one supportive review as spam when I was supposed to thank the sender for the support and kind review. I wish to apologize to the person who sent the review. I have already apologized in a PM but I wanted to do it here too. I also contacted the support to ask if I can undo the stupidity. I truly respect all the reviews I have been getting and it was never my intention to report anything. I'm sorry for being stupid.**

* * *

"Henry, have time for a short break?" Russell Jackson asked on the phone.

"Sure," Henry said. They set a place and time for a meeting and to Henry's great amazement Russell Jackson was right on time. The man's gaze was glued to the phone as usual, but at least his physical self was there.

"This has to be something pretty big," Henry guessed.

"Why?" Jackson asked.

"Otherwise you would have summoned me to your office. This is something you don't want people to know about," Henry assumed. Russell barked a laugh.

"Your daughter knows about this," he said. Henry stared at him like he had just grown a second head on his shoulders.

"No guessing games, Russell. Spit it out," McCord said. The expression on Jackson's face was strange.

"This is big because I don't want your wife to know we have met," Russell said. Henry laughed.

"You think I won't tell her?" he asked.

"I'm 100 % sure you won't whisper a word of this meeting to Bess," Jackson replied. Henry's fingers were itching. He wanted to take a good hold of the man's windpipe and squeeze the truth out of him.

"What is this?!" he asked, angrily. Jackson laughed.

"Easy, Henry," he said. Then the man seemed to realize he was facing imminent, agonizing death if he didn't speak up. Fast.

"Alright, Henry. POTUS wants to throw Bess a surprise birthday party," Russell told him. Henry's mouth fell open.

"He wants to who what now?" he stammered. Jackson laughed.

"You look exactly like her staff did," he said.

"No, Russell, explain this to me now. POTUS wants to do what?" Henry asked.

"Throw Elizabeth a surprise birthday party on her birthday. I know it's on Sunday, but we were thinking Friday," Russell suggested. Smile crept slowly on Henry's face when he realized that Jackson was not kidding.

"He actually wants to… throw her a party?" Henry asked. Russell nodded.

"Yes. It's been a pretty long and hard few months and you know as well as I do that all the shutdown and things around it, plus the Libya trip and who knows what have been hard for her emotionally and in many other ways. Things have not been easy for you two as a couple and I'm sure Alison leaving for college wasn't exactly easy on all aspects either, so this party would not only be for her birthday. It might help some stuff within her department and the White House too plus perhaps give her a reason to keep on doing the great job she's known for," Jackson said. Henry's mouth fell open again.

"Russell? Did you just tell me you think she does a great job?" he asked. Russell snorted.

"Repeat it to her and I'll deny everything. Then again, as said, I doubt you will mention this meeting to her," he said with a devilish grin. Henry laughed.

"OK. So why did you tell this all to me?" he asked.

"Don't be an idiot, Henry. We need the family's full support for this to work," Jackson said. Henry nodded.

"Yes, of course. Sorry, I didn't think. So what do you need from me?" he asked.

"Our biggest challenge really is to find a way to get her to the venue on time," Russell said.

"Where will the party take place?" Henry asked.

"The Evac zone," Jackson said, laughing. Henry looked at him and started laughing too.

"That is brilliant," he said.

"I have to say I agree, even though it wasn't my idea," Russell said. Henry shook his head.

"I have so many questions but yes, logistics is a big issue," he admitted.

"We kind of hoped you would take her to a concert and we could have the DS 'get a call' and rush her out of there. In action you would be put in a second car and while on journey she would be meet a few traffic jams to slow her down, so you can reach the zone before her. That way everyone would be there before her," Jackson said.

"Again, good idea. What would it take for her to be taken to the Evac Zone?" Henry asked.

"A nuclear threat from China," Russell said.

"How the hell do you plan to cook that up?" McCord asked, staring Jackson.

"Minister Chen is very fond of our Bess. He wasn't against it at all," Russell said. Henry rubbed his palms together.

"How about on Saturday?" he asked.

"What?" Jackson asked.

"Organize the party on Saturday instead," Henry said.

"Why?"

"I can order a 'media blackout' for entire Saturday. We can do fun stuff at home, family stuff. Then I can take her to a concert in the evening. Friday she would pay attention to media all day. Cooking up a nuclear threat from China in a couple of hours wouldn't be plausible enough," Henry said. Jackson smiled.

"When you are right you are right," he said.

"I can't take her to the opera. She would just fall asleep. But then again if it's a rock concert she wouldn't be wearing a dress really," Henry said.

"Would she be interested in a gala concert that's gathering funds for UNICEF?" Jackson asked.

"There I could get her to go pretty easily," Henry assured him.

"Good," Russell Jackson said and smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

**Let's do some planning...**

* * *

"Clowns," Matt said.

"Clowns?" Daisy asked. Her voice was filled with disbelief.

"Better ideas?" Mahoney's voice was irritated.

"We have to have better ideas. I mean, for real. Clowns?!" Daisy said.

"OK, stop repeating the 'clowns' and tell me the better ideas you have," Matt demanded. Daisy snorted.

"I think we need to come up with a plan. Food, music, decorations, stuff like that," she said.

"A theme," Matt suggested. Daisy looked at him but instead of a mocking her smile grew wide.

"That is a great idea," she said.

"Which theme?" Matt asked. Daisy got up and went to Blake. She had her tablet with her and before opening her mouth she made sure that The Secretary was nowhere to be seen – or heard.

"Blake, we need a theme," Daisy said.

"Theme?" Blake asked. Daisy's stare was very intense.

"Oh… a theme…" Blake finally understood.

"Yes, a theme," Daisy repeated. Blake gave her a short nod.

"Let me think about it," he said. Daisy smiled.

"Sure. How about drinks after work?" she suggested. Blake smiled.

"Good idea," he said.

* * *

The bar was nice and the booth they had found empty was quiet.

"We have several possibilities for a theme," Blake said.

"Barbie? Disney Princess'? G.I. Jane?" Jay asked. The others stared.

"What is the matter with you? I think having a theme is a good idea!" Daisy said.

"Themes are for children," Jay mocked.

"Alright. Let's start from other things. The food?" Matt suggested.

"Yes, food is a good place to start. Ideas?" Daisy said and gave Jay a careful, sideways look.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry. I was out of line," Jay said.

"Don't worry about it. I think food should be diversified. Meat, fish, vegetarian. The guest list is vast, and we have people coming from all over and I wouldn't want anyone to go hungry because we don't have enough different choices," Daisy suggested.

"Yes, I agree. We need a DJ also," Matt said. Jay nodded.

"What's the decorations going to be like?" he asked.

"This is where the theme thing comes in. I've been thinking about the Evac Zone. It's a bit boring, huge area and all that. How about we divide the place with partitions and each 'room' has a different cultural theme. I'm thinking about Far East, Middle East, European, African and so on, in large perspective. Not like China, Japan, Syria, Ethiopia, France, but more like continents," Daisy said. Jay smiled.

"You're right. That would be a great theme. Can we have local music for each partition or would it be too messed up?" Jay asked.

"It depends on the partitions," Matt said.

Slowly the plan started to form. They all felt this was the most important thing they had ever done. It wasn't about the party, it wasn't about the decorations or the guests. It all came from the deep affection they felt for Elizabeth McCord, the boss they had learned to respect and love.

"We do this for her. It's not for POTUS, it's not for the terrier, it's for her," Matt said.

"Ruff," someone said right by their side. They all looked up.

"Mr. Jackson… sir," Matt said. His face turned red. Russell Jackson laughed. He laid his glass on the table and Daisy moved some to give him room to sit down.

"So, you have something cooked up?" Jackson asked.

"Yes, sir," Daisy assured him.

"Walk me through it," Russell asked. The four explained him all the aspects of the plan thus far and he nodded. A lot.

"Nothing to criticize?" Jay asked. Jackson laughed.

"This is your show through and through. POTUS knew before but you know her the best now. You and her family. Henry is in, so is Stephanie McCord and the other kids will fall in line, I guess. You can contact them at any time for any details. Minister Chen is in too for the diversion and the Secretary's detail was read in the plan," the Chief of Staff told them. The waitress came by.

"Hi, can I get you guys something?" she asked.

"Sure, bring them in," Matt said.

"Sir, another drink for you?" the waitress asked Russell Jackson.

"Yes, please," the man said. She smiled and winked at Jackson. Russell huffed, but smiled.

"A friend of yours?" Jay asked. Jackson shot him a dirty look.

"Mind your own business," he barked, but grinned a bit.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for reviews! I love them!**

* * *

"Henry, I can't NOT see any news today," Elizabeth McCord tried to reason with her husband. Henry's laugh was more like a snort.

"Is this my 'I care about that' face?" he asked.

"What?" the baffled Secretary of State tried to comprehend.

"I told you… I have told you since Wednesday that this day, this Saturday is your NO NEWS zone. First, we will have breakfast, then we will go out for a walk, then we shall have lunch and spend some time with the family. Jason and Allie are here, Stevie is on her way. After quality family time we'll have a light dinner, then we'll get changed and get to the concert hall in time. I bought the tickets and I know you agree it's a really good cause, but I also want to HEAR them, so we are going. Right now, can you find even a moment in that schedule where you have time to watch the news?" Henry asked.

"Baby, I understand but things have changed since Wednesday. If the situation between China and North Korea was to escalate…"

"Your staff would call you before it ever hit the news so no, you don't really need the news," Henry said. His unmoving calmness finally pushed Elizabeth McCord to laughter and she gave in.

"OK. You win," she said.

"You didn't even want me to lose," Henry pointed out. Elizabeth laughed again.

"No, I didn't. I was very much prepared to lose this one," she admitted.

* * *

It was one of the most memorable days the McCord family had spent together since moving to Washington DC. The weather seemed to take every possible chance to please the Secretary and those she loved the most and for once it seemed like even social media didn't keep their kids in a tight grasp.

"Something's bound to go wrong," Elizabeth said finally, when she was getting dressed for the gala concert.

"Why?" Henry asked.

"It's been such a perfect day," she said. Henry laughed softly.

"You are right about that," he admitted.

"May I turn on the TV? For… five seconds?" Bess begged.

"Any messages?" Henry asked.

"None," she said.

"Then, no. No reason, I suppose," he said.

"You're tough," Bess accused him.

"I know your five seconds baby and no news is good news," Henry remind her. Elizabeth turned around and Henry gasped.

"You look… very… gala," he tried to find words.

"Very gala?" Bess asked.

"If I would say everything that just came to my mind we would not leave this room in the next few hours," Henry admitted. Bess laughed.

"Not a bad idea," she teased. Henry did his best to keep a straight face.

"No, but we would disappoint some children," he pointed out.

"True," Bess sighed.

* * *

The concert hall was full of people. Henry exchanged a look with the head of Elizabeth's DS detail and Matt gave him a short nod. They knew what was coming and they would be prepared. People didn't stare but they did get a few long looks.

"They are staring at us," Bess noted.

"Correction: they are staring at you. Why did you have to wear that dress?" Henry asked. Bess' face showed horror.

"What is the matter with my dress?" she asked.

"You look simply amazing with it. You look… heavenly," Henry admitted. Bess laughed.

"I thought… you dog!" she hissed. Henry laughed too and took her to their seats.

The concert was a mix of singers, bands and orchestras and they were all skillfully tied to an entity by a theme: Every piece sang or played had something to do with old movies.

"This is better than I expected," Henry whispered. Bess nodded enthusiastically.

"It's amazing. I loved the Moon river," she said.

* * *

The call came 68 minutes in. Bess turned her head hearing her DS detail reply in soft voice and that was all she had time for. Matt and the others were there and rushed her and Henry from their seats.

"What is it?" Bess asked. Her mind was completely in the concert still, Somewhere Over the Rainbow was playing and then they were outside the actual hall.

"Ma'am, we have orders to take you to the White House," Matt said.

"Me?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. You and Dr. McCord," the bodyguard replied.

"Just us?" Henry wanted to know.

"There's another vehicle coming from your home, sir. Your children are in that car," Matt said.

"Baby, go with them. Matt, have them pick me up from here. I think I should be with the kids," Henry said.

"Alright," Bess agreed, still completely baffled by the sudden change of situation. Matt rushed the Secretary to the first vehicle of the motorcade. The engine was already running and as soon as the Secretary was safely in, the vehicle started moving.

"How far out are they?" Henry asked.

"They are already there. Go!" another DS agent said and pointed at another vehicle that had just rolled in. Henry got in the car. Allie, Jason and Stevie were sitting in the car, smiling widely.

"Did mom guess anything?" Jason asked.

"I doubt it but with her it's hard to say," Henry admitted.

* * *

"Ma'am, we shall… SHIT!" Matt exclaimed. The brown Honda came from the left, breaking wildly. It missed the SUV by inches and caused three other cars to spin to a halt.

"Back out and go around!" Matt barked to the other DS agent who was driving the vehicle. Then he turned.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, yes I am," Elizabeth assured him. Then she checked her phone. Still no messages.

"What is going on? Why isn't anyone talking to me?" she asked.

"Ma'am, seems like media blackout for security reasons," Matt told her. The light ahead showed red and at least 10 cars was waiting to get through.

"Damned busy for a Saturday," the driver huffed. He accelerated, used the green area and passed by the waiting cars.

"No collisions!" Matt barked.

"No, sir," the driver said and slowed down a bit. Bess checked her watch. Twenty minutes earlier she had been sitting next to the one man she loved, listening to wonderful, old movie songs and now she was in a vehicle that was hurrying her to the White House because…

"Matt, talk to me. What has happened?" she asked.

"China, ma'am. I have no details at the moment. We are taking you to the Evac zone. POTUS will be waiting there. We have 10 minutes before Air Force 1 takes off," Matt said. Bess knew what that meant. The only reason the Air Force 1 would be taken airborne in a situation like this, was that someone had placed a threat to attack the US with a nuclear weapon. It would take POTUS and the highest ranking officials of the government to safety. Just being on AF1 was somewhat safe, excluding the hacking on the plane's systems a while back.

"Henry?" she asked. Matt looked at her but couldn't say a word. Elizabeth McCord also knew what the look meant: Everyone would never fit the AF1 so they would have to select those who were taken in. She knew she would not step into the plane. If it was in the cards that her country would be under a nuclear attack, she would rather stay here in Washington DC with her family than leave them behind. There was no doubt of it.

"We're here," Matt said. Elizabeth was rushed out of the SUV and taken to a long tunnel that lead to the evacuation zone. The red lights showing the route were bright, but otherwise the tunnel was dark. They walked quickly, and Matt held her hand to make sure she wouldn't fall because of her high heels. Then they reached the Evac Zone doors. For a moment they halted, then a DS agent pushed the doors open.


	6. Chapter 6

**This may be it... Unless I come up with a fluffy Bess/Henry piece...**

* * *

The darkness was complete. Matt guided her gently through the threshold, let the heavy metal door close behind them with a soft 'THUMP' and…

"SURPRISE!" the shout was like thunder in the perfectly silent area. Lights were turned on at the same, exact moment and Bess saw them all: Her children, Henry, all her staff, people from her office, people from the White House, Conrad Dalton, his wife, Mike B. Gordon.… everyone… Simply everyone was there. Elizabeth McCord stared at the people, breathing… no, panting like she had just finished the marathon.

"Oh, dear Lord…" she whispered. Everyone was smiling. Minister Chen was standing quite in the front. Elizabeth looked at Matt, who seemed a bit embarrassed.

"We had to have a reason…" the man said sheepishly but then he smiled. Elizabeth laughed. She couldn't stop laughing when POTUS came to her and hugged her gently.

"Happy Birthday, Bess," the President said, smiling widely.

"What… how… what…?" Bess tried but sense had completely left her.

"For you, Bess. For you," Dalton said quietly and let Henry take her in his arms.

"Happy Birthday, baby," Henry said.

"You knew about this?" Elizabeth asked. Henry laughed.

"Yes, I did," he admitted. Allie, Jason and Stevie came to them.

"Happy Birthday, mom," Allie said.

"You all knew about this?" Bess realized. The kids laughed.

"Yeah, mom. Man, this is better than anything! We actually outsmarted you!" Jason celebrated. Bess burst into giggles.

"You did! You so did!" she admitted. Now her staff was there.

"You… you did this!" she accused them. Blake and Jay bowed slightly, Daisy and Matt just grinned.

"It was our pleasure, ma'am," Jay assured her.

"How did you… I mean… the Evac Zone? This is more off limits than... I don't even know what," Bess said.

"Russell Jackson, ma'am. He… helped. A lot," Blake admitted. Bess walked to Minister Chen.

"A nuclear threat?" the Secretary asked. Minister Chen smiled.

"It had to be good, knowing your reputation," he said. Elizabeth McCord looked around. He had seen the Evac Zone once before. Then it had been a huge, vacant hall with concrete walls and simply nothing to see. Now she could see colorful fabrics, a bar, and partitions.

"Shall we look around?" Henry suggested.

"Yes, please," Elizabeth said. Henry took her hand and started walking her through the area. First stop was the Far East section. The decorations were from China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and many other countries from the area. There were people there, both Americans and also people Elizabeth had met – and helped in her line of work. Everyone greeted them and wished her happy birthday. The next stop was Middle East with decorations from the rich Arab cultures. They were again greeted with smiles and wishes of happy birthday and long life. Every section the skillfully set partitions cut from the vast general area was dedicated to a continent or part of one and everyone Elizabeth and Henry met, were people who either worked with Bess or she had in some way touched their lives.

"Oh Henry, this is amazing," Bess whispered. Henry smiled.

"I agree," he said. Then he took her to the bar.

"How about a drink?" he suggested.

"Champagne," Bess said without hesitation. The bartender smiled and gave them the flutes.

"Happy Birthday, my love," Henry said quietly and raised his glass. Then they heard music. A gentle French tune started low and was then turned up, when Nadine Tolliver started to sing.

"Oh! Nadine!" Bess whispered, tears filling her eyes. When Nadine got to the end of the song, everyone started singing Happy Birthday to Elizabeth McCord.

"Oh, Thank you for being here!" Bess whispered to Nadine and hugged her. The woman hugged her back.

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world! Happy Birthday, Ma'am," she said.

It was amazing how much of Elizabeth's work Daisy, Blake, Jay and Matt had managed to present in the area. Everyone seemed to enjoy being there and Elizabeth couldn't get over the thought that this was done for her. She had hugged Jay twice, Matt three times and Blake at least five times. Daisy had lost count somewhere around hugs 9 and 10.

"Thank you, guys. Thank you. This is amazing," Bess said.

"Have you seen Russell Jackson? He did a lot too," Daisy admitted. Bess looked around.

"No, I haven't seen him at all," she said.

"I wonder if he is still mad at Matt," Daisy said.

"For what… this time?" Bess asked.

"Matt kind of called him a terrier," Daisy said. Bess burst in laughter.

"Well not to his face, but he heard it," Daisy corrected.

"He is… a terrier. Like this little, over enthusiastic terrier with bad temper and short fuse," Bess said. It might have been the booze talking. She usually didn't call people names.

* * *

The party went on well to Sunday. It seemed like everyone was having fun, and no one seemed to have anything against cultural diversity or anything else that usually raised at least some negative issues. The food was great and there was plenty of it. At 1:30 AM Henry found Jason and Alison asleep in the Middle East area: The fluffy pillows and thick, beautiful carpets created a perfect sleeping place for the two tired youths. Henry went to nudge Matt's arm a little and the DS agent helped her carry the kids to the vehicles.

"Wake them up when you get home. They'll crawl in bed there," he said.

"Yes, sir," the agent said smiling.

"What is it?" Bess asked, seeing Henry come back in through the heavy doors.

"Jason and Allie had fallen asleep. The detail will take them home," he said. Bess smiled.

"Good, thanks. Have you seen Stevie?" she asked.

"She was just at the bar talking with Russell Jackson," Henry said.

"Why would she talk with Russell at a party? Doesn't she get enough of his company at work?" Bess wondered and walked to the bar. Stevie and Russell Jackson were sitting at a table in the far end corner. They seemed to be deep in conversation.

"I think POTUS said no shop talk today?" Bess interrupted them. Jackson leaned back and looked at her. Stevie smiled.

"We're not. Talking shop that is," she said.

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth asked.

"You," Russell admitted.

"Me?" Bess asked.

"Yes, you mom," Stevie said.

"What about me?" Bess wanted to know.

"Do you think we could have pulled this off with the former Secretaries? All these cultures together. Minister Chen? All this?" Jackson asked. Bess looked at him, not quite sure what he was getting at.

"Mom… this is you. This is all you. You bring all these people to this place, to this state of mind where they can all celebrate your birthday without strangling each other," Stevie said. Elizabeth was about to protest but Russell Jackson got up.

"She's right, Bess. This is all you. For this… we respect you," the man said and walked away.

"He said it and he didn't choke to the words," Stevie said, trying to hide a smile. Bess stared at Jackson's retreating back.

"He must be really drunk," she said. Stevie got up and hugged her.

"No mum, he is just right. We all respect you. So much," she said quietly.

"I love you, baby," Elizabeth said hugging her back.

"I love you too, mum. We all do," Stevie said quietly.


End file.
